Vaporizing manifold type liquid fuel burner



Aug. 7, 1951 o 2,563,139

VAFORIZ'ING MANIFOLD TYPE LIQUID FUEL BURNER Filed Aug. 5, 1947 30 E L 7H l PL Li 2 I 0 /z m I m l8 INVENTOR.

flz fla/vsa fl. 70/ 2 Z0 Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE? VAPORIZING MANIFOLD'TYPEIJIQUID FUEL BURNER Alphonso A. Topp;Indianapolis, Ind. ApplicationAugust 5, 1947, Serial No. 766,185

' '4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a vaporizing'm'ahifold type offiuid fuelburner which may be usedw'ith solid fuel when desired or required.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide "a burner of thevaporizing type insofar as liquid fuel is concerned and one that isextremely simple and one wherein the normal fuel level is such thatthe'fuel is subject tobu'rner suction supply for'tra'ns'ference toayapori'zing zone.

'The chief feature of the present invention resides in the turbulencecreating high velo'city'air supplies to the fuel outlet for suctionsupply and atomization of the fuel, the atomized fuel then beingvaporized and burned.

Another feature of the invention resides in the manifold independent captype plug for'fuel and air deflection purposes and the multiple surfacecleaning projections on successive stepped portions of the'cap. V

A further feature of the invention resides inthe exterior"radialribbin'g of the central raised'portion of the burner bowl orbase.

Other objects and features of the invention will beset forth more fullyhereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claim-s:

In the drawings 7 Fig. 1 is a topplan'view of a circular embodiment ofthe inventiom'a portion of thefmanifold being broken away to showthesame insection.

Fig. 2 is a 'vertical sectional View taken on broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1and in the direction of thea'rrows.

.Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the 'cap ty-pe stepped plug andcleaner.

In Figs. 1' and '2 of the drawings there is illustr'ated-a shallow bowlor base I llhaving the outer rim 1 I, the downwarm directed supportingflange l2 and herein four arcuately and equally spacedl6 which, however,terminate short of the tubular portions I4.

The central portion l5 has its upper edge ll also coplaner with theportions [4 and the rim i I. This central portion has coaxial opening orpassage IB therethrough which is threaded at l9 to take a fluid fuelsupply pipe 20. The line desually accumulate.

J outlet 34 of the radial tube.

is maintained by a float valve or other mechanism not shown andconventional to oil burner systems,

InFig. 3 the cap type stepped plug is illustrated. It comprises atapered or frusto-polyonalend ZI ofa'length that the face 22 issubmerged in a liquid fuel supply systern'including the invention. Theopposite end includes a cap 23 that serves at its face 24 as an airdivert'er preventing direct air pressure discharge into fuel supplypassageway [8. Between the cap and portion 21- is a step arrangement.Same herein co ripriseslug portions 25 having lower faces 26. The edges21* of portion i2l may serve as passageway cleaners and the spacers 25also serve as cleaners for face I! should carbon, etc., grad- Liquidfuel can be sucked out of passageway [8 through the spaces between thelatter and portion 2!. This passes laterally between cap 23 and face l1.Of course, if the fuel be gaseous it will flow from the passagewaywith-"out the necessity of a suction lift. 25 f Reference will now be had tothe manifold shown in Figs. land 2. 'Sam'e'comp'rises a-central hubportion 21. having a downwardly open- "ing air discharge opening28 of anarea to nest the cap 23 of saidgrav'ity seatable plug, the weightthereof being sufii-cient to seat said plug as described. The plug thusis independent of the manifold. Different size plugs accordingly maybeselectively associated with the same base or bowl and manifold.

;--'-I;h e manifold includes generally radially directed tubularportions corresponding in number to tubular portions I l. Eachterminates in a downwardly directed portion 29 that is nested in tubularportion It, the free end'30 restingon collar portion 3|.

--The curved portion 32 gradually constricts and the radial portion 33further constricts the passage. The result,asherein disclosecLis thatport l3 has an area about four times the discharge The direction ofdischarge into the hub is substantially tangential. Thus the air isswirling in the hub and discharges in a swirling column effect about thecap 23 into the bowl .and' about the central raised portion thereof.

Such discharge creates a suction on the mouth of the fuel supply systemthat is between the cap and face ill. When liquid fuel is utilized it athis point is fully atomized and immediately mixed with air so that avapor mixture is created.

When ignited this mixture burns immediately heated to expand it whetherit be liquid or gaseous. The air entering ports I3 is also progressivelyheated so that the velocity is increased over and above that resultingfrom constriction. As a result the air discharged applies suction to thefuel outlet of the system whether that fuel be liquid or gas.

The products of combustion flow outwardly and upwardly for heatingpurposes and the stack draft for the household type should be aboutfifteen inches. The six-inch burner is adapted for tank heaters, theeight, ten and twelve inch burners are adapted for house heatingpurposes while larger sizes such as eighteen, twenty-four, thirty andthirty-six inch burners are adapted for steam and hot water boilers.

It has been determined that a. burner of this type utilizesapproximately 90 percent air and ten percent fuel by volume. Withgaseous fuel the air to fuel ratio is about four to one. Otherwiseexpressed, the six-inch size uses about two gallons of oil per day; theeight inch, two and a half gallons; the ten inch, four and a half tofive gallons; and the twelve inch, six gallons per day. The latter willsatisfactorily heat a seven or eight room house, the ten inch a fiveroom house, and an eight inch burner will heat a three or four roomhouse.

Whenever the fuel supply situation prevents the use of gas or oil, thehouseholder need only open the furnace door and lift out the manifold.After supplying solid fuel and igniting same the bowl serves as a gratefor such fuel, air thereto then being supplied by ports l3 In this usethe plug shown in Fig. 3 preferably is utilized to prevent clogging ofpassageway 18. Obviously the gas or liquid fuel supply to line will becut off.

Following solid fuel use the bowl is cleaned out, the manifold restored,the fluid fuel again supplied and ignited whereupon the unit opcrates asoriginally intended.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detailin the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be consideredas illustrative and not restrictive in character.

The several modifications described herein as well as others which willreadily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art, all areconsidered to be within the broad scope of the invention, referencebeing had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an oil burner the combination of a bowl type base having anupwardly directed, fuel supplying, apertured portion centrally disposedtherein and an outwardly and upwardly directed rim, said rim and portionforming a channel about the latter, a plurality of upwardly directedtubes disposed in the channel and approximately equally spaced aparttherein and in spaced relation to the upper portions of the rim and thecentral portion, each tube opening through the base for air supplypurposes, a stepped plug having a, lower portion nested in the apertureof the fuel supplying portion and but partially, in cross section,plugging that aperture, lugs on the plug resting upon the top of thesaid central portion and a cap of greater cross-sectional area. than thecentral portion aperture for bafiling fuel discharge therefrom andbetween the said lugs, and a manifold having a central hub portion,tubular portions projecting outwardly therefrom and thence downwardly,there being as many tubular portions as there are tube portions andhaving their downward portions similarly spaced apart, the hub having acentral chamber therein opening downwardly and of an area greater thanthat of the cap, a portion of the latter being disposed in the chamberopening, each tube and cooperating tubular portion having aninterfitting connection therebetween, the tubular portions, at theirinner adjacent ends having communication with the manifold centralchamber and the downward portions solely supporting the manifold uponthe tubes. 7

2. An oil burner as defined by claim 1 wherein each tubular portion isdirected inwardly toward and substantially tangentially to the manifoldhub portion.

3. An, oil burner as defined by claim 2 wherein each tubular portion is,from the interfitting connection to the hub chamber, of substantiallyprogressively decreasing cross-sectional area.

4, An oil burner as defined by claim 3 wherein there is exteriorlyprovided upon said fuel supplying central portion a plurality of fins,each extending outwardly into the base bowl'channel and terminatingshort of connection with the tubes therein.

. ALPHONSO A. TOPP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record iii the file ofthis patent:

V UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

